title: Approaches for drug delivery with intracortical probes.
abstract: Intracortical microprobes allow the precise monitoring of electrical and chemical signaling and are widely used in neuroscience. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technologies have greatly enhanced the integration of multifunctional probes by facilitating the combination of multiple recording electrodes and drug delivery channels in a single probe. Depending on the neuroscientific application, various assembly strategies are required in addition to the microprobe fabrication itself. This paper summarizes recent advances in the fabrication and assembly of micromachined silicon probes for drug delivery achieved within the EU-funded research project NeuroProbes. The described fabrication process combines a two-wafer silicon bonding process with deep reactive ion etching, wafer grinding, and thin film patterning and offers a maximum in design flexibility. By applying this process, three general comb-like microprobe designs featuring up to four 8-mm-long shafts, cross sections from 150×200 to 250×250 µm², and different electrode and fluidic channel configurations are realized. Furthermore, we discuss the development and application of different probe assemblies for acute, semichronic, and chronic applications, including comb and array assemblies, floating microprobe arrays, as well as the complete drug delivery system NeuroMedicator for small animal research.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spieth
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trenkle
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Brett
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seidl
authors.forename: Stanislav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herwik
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kisban
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruther
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Arno A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Aarts
authors.forename: Hercules P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.forename: P Dylan
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Theobald
authors.forename: Tahl
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holtzman
authors.forename: Jeffrey W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dalley
authors.forename: Bram-Ernst
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Verhoef
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zengerle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D015918:Infusion Pumps, Implantable; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008845:Microinjections / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008904:Miniaturization; D018511:Systems Integration